Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) Shares Sold by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp decreased its stake in shares of Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,092 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 544 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Murphy USA were worth $2,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in Murphy USA by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 100 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Murphy USA by 186.1% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Murphy USA in the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Murphy USA during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Murphy USA

In related news, Director Rosemary Turner sold 797 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.10, for a total transaction of $395,391.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Renee M. Bacon sold 2,000 shares of Murphy USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.58, for a total value of $939,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 5,927 shares in the company, valued at $2,783,200.66. This represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,594 shares of company stock worth $1,695,043 over the last 90 days. 9.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Murphy USA Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of Murphy USA stock opened at $486.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10 and a beta of 0.73. Murphy USA Inc. has a 1 year low of $382.04 and a 1 year high of $561.08. The company’s fifty day moving average is $470.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $493.56.

Murphy USA (NYSE:MUSA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $6.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.46 by $0.50. Murphy USA had a return on equity of 61.60% and a net margin of 2.48%. Analysts forecast that Murphy USA Inc. will post 26.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Murphy USA Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a positive change from Murphy USA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Murphy USA’s payout ratio is presently 8.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on MUSA shares. KeyCorp began coverage on Murphy USA in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $550.00 target price on the stock. Melius initiated coverage on Murphy USA in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Murphy USA from $555.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Murphy USA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. Finally, Stephens raised shares of Murphy USA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Murphy USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $539.00.

Murphy USA Company Profile

Murphy USA Inc engages in marketing of retail motor fuel products and convenience merchandise. The company operates retail stores under the Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and QuickChek brands, as well as operates non-fuel convenience stores. It operates retail gasoline stores principally in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest United States.